As a Certified Women-Owned flavor house, diversity and inclusion are woven throughout the fabric of our organization from both an internal and external perspective. We create our own initiatives and philanthropic commitments to cultivate and amplify diversity and inclusion in all that we do – including in our relationships with employees, suppliers, customers, partners, and everyone Edlong reaches.
Internally, the core of diversity at Edlong is supporting an inclusive workplace, with a culture that encourages each person to contribute, embrace the ideas of others, have a voice, and treat others respectfully. In addition to our proactive recruitment efforts, we are fortunate to organically attract a diverse workforce – driven by the way in which we value one another regardless of role or job title. Our mission at Edlong is To Enrich the Lives of Those We Touch, regardless of race, religion, gender, age, or physical disability.
“We learn from each other, and because sometimes we see things from different angles, it enhances the possibilities of creating solutions that are not only great but different. When discussing diversity, people tend to focus on inclusion, however, working with a diverse team is more than inclusion. There is an advantage found in diversity where each individual can perceive problems and approach solutions from different perspectives, and when combined, it promotes innovations on a level that a less diverse group could not achieve. At Edlong, we embrace diversity and foster collaboration with cross functional teams. From my perspective, it promotes continual improvement as well as challenges and motivates employees, bringing more purpose and ownership to our day-to-day operations.”
Fabi Wilfong, Global Director, Supply Chain
Studies show that inclusive, diverse companies are nearly twice as likely to be innovation leaders in their market. At Edlong we see it happen every day; our track record of accelerating innovation for our customers is respected and celebrated throughout the food and beverage industry. Our diversity provides fresh perspectives and unique experiences that benefit our customers, while also allowing us to qualify for customer diversity programs. We continually examine our own suppliers’ commitment to diversity as we seek to increase our own diversity spend.
Our President and CEO Laurette Rondenet believes strongly in creating an atmosphere where every person is valued and can grow as individuals. Embracing diverse viewpoints around creativity and innovation stimulates new thinking across functions and teams, brings greater value to our customers and their projects, and provides Edlong with a competitive advantage.
Our environment of inclusivity is reflected in our longstanding dedication to diversity, including:
- 37% of employees and 43% of managers are Minorities
- 60%+ Female representation on the Edlong executive team
- 44% Female employee base, over 10% higher than industry average
- 38% Minority employee base, significantly higher than the national average
- 65% of our supervisor level and above positions were filled by promotion
Edlong provides our customers with a clear path for your brand to support initiatives that are important to your company and consumers, such as tracking corporate diversity spend and opening opportunities to gain additional business through channels that seek diverse partner organizations.
“Starbucks nominated Edlong as a Trendsetting Women-Owned Business Making an Impact in Food & Beverage and Agriculture, by way of what Edlong has done, what you’ve meant to our business, and by what you do with your other customers – and how your business is run as a whole.”
– James Hing, Global Category Manager of Supplier Diversity, Starbucks
Edlong is a certified Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE), which requires a rigorous certification process from the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) promotes diversity in commerce, expands opportunities and eliminates marketplace barriers for women business owners.
In addition to WBENC, we are also active members and support NMSDC (National Minority Supplier Development Council) NAWBO (National Association of Women Business Owners), and BDR (Billion Dollar Roundtable). We also actively seek opportunities to develop and support the next generation of food scientists—whether they be girls (such as through our work with Girls Inc.) or economically underprivileged students who benefit from career mentorship (such as through Female Strong and its programs like YEA!).
“I am beyond grateful to be a part of this diverse team and the exciting things we are working on!”
– Lauren Hopkins, Business Development Director, North America
Edlong’s unique position as an international company also allows us to have many diverse and bilingual employees, which helps both in internal and external communication and collaboration. Edlong has also been recognized by Crain’s Chicago Business as one of Chicago’s Best Places to Work for Minorities, and is a multi-year winner of numerous Best Places to Work awards – which means by creating an inclusive environment at our core, employees like where they work, are enthusiastic ambassadors, embrace company values, and choose to stay for many years. Edlong experiences very low turnover – yet another way our commitment to diversity helps drives our continued success.
“By having a global presence, with a diverse employee base, we are uniquely positioned to have a world-wide understanding of industry challenges and our ‘we are all in this together’ mentality means the whole company at a global level is engaged in creating solutions for our customers. Input for all of our business regions guides our efforts to solve our customers’ problems with innovative solutions.”
– Alex Ocampo, Technical Sales & Commercial Manager
Learn more about our commitment to fostering a diverse company and inclusive environment for our employees and partner entities.
Topics: Giving Back
Resource Type: Article